Flutterwave, Africa’s largest payment service provider, has selected Polygon as its primary blockchain to launch a new stablecoin-powered cross-border payment product.
The collaboration positions Polygon’s blockchain infrastructure as integral to achieving its vision of creating a seamless, borderless, and cost-efficient cross-border payment system.
With this integration, Flutterwave aims to enable real-time stablecoin transfers for African consumers and businesses globally.
Stablecoins: A Tool for Financial Inclusion and Economic Growth
Stablecoins have rapidly gained traction as an efficient means for everyday and institutional payments across various regions, including Africa.
According to Chainalysis’ 2025 reports, Sub-Saharan Africa is the third-fastest-growing crypto region, with stablecoins accounting for a significant share, particularly in institutional transactions, led by Nigeria and South Africa.
Moreover, Nigeria has announced the formation of a stablecoin working group to explore possible adoption and economic consequences.
As Flutterwave noted in its partnership announcement,
“Stablecoins are not some distant crypto experiment.They are an infrastructure play, one that Africa needs now. And with Flutterwave and Polygon working together, we are making that future accessible today.”
The partnership will enable consumers and businesses to instantly send, receive, and settle everyday payments and transactions.
The selected stablecoins, USDC and USDT, are particularly ideal for instant international settlements due to their stability as opposed to the volatility of fiat currencies, low transaction costs, and fast confirmation times.
“The adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments will drive more flows into Africa,” Agboola said. “This has the potential to 10 times the volumes we are currently doing 10 times.”
Flutterwave’s Mission to Connect Africa to the Global Economy.
This partnership represents a continuation of Flutterwave’s mission: “to connect Africa to the world and the world back to Africa.”
Africans and African businesses have long faced challenges in transacting across borders, mainly due to high transaction fees, currency volatility, and slow settlement times.
“Businesses in emerging economies process billions in cross-border payments annually, yet still face high costs and slow settlement times,” said Olugbenga “GB” Agboola, CEO and Founder of Flutterwave.
“By partnering with Polygon, we’re introducing a solution that makes international payments even more simple and affordable than many local ones. This revolution will unlock new economic opportunities across the continent.”
For consumers, this partnership unlocks instant and cost-effective everyday payments, as well as an opportunity to participate in the global economy. For enterprises and small and medium businesses, this collaboration provides a trusted infrastructure that facilitates wider market access, better capital efficiency, and smoother expansion across regions.
Phased Roll-out and Pilot Program
The partnership will launch in phases, kicking off with a pilot program in 2025 for selected enterprises and multinationals, including Uber and Audiomack. During this phase, the enterprise clients will be able to leverage stablecoin rails, reducing settlement times and costs.
The full rollout will commence in 2026 for all users of the Flutterwave for Business and Send App across Africa and beyond. This expansion aims to improve financial accessibility and instant cross-border payments for millions of consumers and businesses.
Polygon’s cost-efficient and scalable infrastructure: the core of Flutterwave’s vision.
Transactions on the Polygon blockchain are executed in seconds and cost less than $0.01, making it a suitable fit for Flutterwave’s instant cross-border payment goals.
The cross-border payments market is grossing $2 trillion, yet businesses and consumers in emerging markets, including Africa, still encounter high transaction costs exceeding 8%, the highest in the world. Flutterwave’s vision and extensive reach of over 150 countries, coupled with Polygon’s scalable infrastructure, directly tackle these challenges.
The blockchain recently recorded major transaction milestones, processing over 50% of USDC transfers in the United States within the $100 – $1000 range and experiencing a 141% surge in small USDC transactions in 2025.
This growth solidifies Polygon’s position as a leading blockchain infrastructure for digital asset transfers.
A New Global Payment Economy for Africa
With operations in over 34 African countries, Flutterwave continues to solidify its position as the continent’s leading payment infrastructure provider.
By integrating Flutterwave’s scale with Polygon’s scalable infrastructure, the partnership is bridging the gap between traditional finance and the global economy, enabling financial inclusion and empowering consumers and businesses in Africa.
Flutterwave and Polygon are joining forces to create a new global payment economy in Africa, one that is faster, more affordable, and accessible to all.
